Pressure builds to update state’s moped laws

Published: Sunday, November 3, 2013 at 11:00 AM.

“If they don't have licenses, a lot of insurance companies won't cover them and that's the problem,” he said. “We're not out to hurt anyone. We just want there to be accountability.”

Carter, who owns the moped shop, said he believes all mopeds should be registered, but said the last point would leave most moped riders without a private mode of transportation.

“Most guys that have them can't get a license and need a way to get around,” Carter said. “Some of them lost their licenses; some are handicapped and can't pass the test.”

According to the General Assembly's website, the bill last saw movement on Feb. 2 when it was referred to the Committee on Transportation. Whether the bill advances or not, Carter wants moped owners and other motorists to have patience, which he said is a virtue when sharing the road.

“Don't worry about the guy blowing his horn behind you,” Carter said. “Just remember to abide by the law.”

Christopher Thomas is a staff writer at The Daily News. Contact him at 910-219-8473 or Christopher.Thomas@JDNews.com.

At the center of Julian Carter's scooter and moped shop on Marine Boulevard is a rarity among motorized vehicles: an orange 1969 Demm Smiley moped.

“There were only 1,000 made and this is number 999,” Carter said.

Carter has had a fascination with motorized scooters and mopeds for over decade after buying a scooter for his son, who was a freshman at East Carolina University at the time, when the hike from the freshman parking lot to his dorm room was too far to walk. Carter bought two, giving one to his son and selling the other.

“I've been infatuated with them since,” Carter said.

But Carter said the vehicles also pose a threat on roads: to moped drivers and other motorists.

Last week, Onslow County had two moped wrecks the same day: One sent a moped driver to the hospital and the other left the moped driver dead. The month before, a Jacksonville man was killed on N.C. 53 when his moped struck a van.

Statistics for moped related deaths and injuries in North Carolina are elusive because state law does not require moped operators to register their vehicles, a topic that has not been ignored, according to Marge Howell of N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles’ communications office.

“It's a topic that keeps coming up,” Howell said. “But, the law is what it is.”

North Carolina law defines a moped as “a vehicle that has two or three wheels, no external shifting device and a motor that does not exceed 50 cubic centimeters piston displacement and cannot be propelled over 30 mph over a level surface.” Drivers cannot be younger than 16, and the vehicles cannot carry more riders than the manufacturer recommends. In addition, the law prohibits mopeds ridden on interstates or other fully controlled highways.

Though the law does limit moped drivers, it also gives them freedoms other vehicle operators do not have in North Carolina. Moped operators are not required to register their vehicle, have insurance or own a driver's license of any kind. Like bicycle riders, moped operators are given the entire lane they occupy. Drivers who wish to pass them must go into another lane to do so. Howell said both moped operators and motorists need to be mindful of safety and space on highways.

“We want people to exercise extreme caution,” Howell said. “If you are around a moped in North Carolina, be cognizant of their place on the road and your activity around them.”

But moped laws are being looked at more closely, particularly by N.C. Rep. Phil Shepard, R-Onslow. Shepard has sponsored House Bill 48, which would not only raise the driving age limit to 17, but would require mopeds to be registered, ban passengers other than their drivers and require moped drivers to pass a driver’s license process. According to Shepard, the state needs to reform its moped laws for the sake of drivers and moped operators alike.

“We want to make sure they're insured because if they get in an accident, the state has to pay for it,” Shepard said. “Since they're not registered, there's no real way to track them and it makes it difficult for us to track them.

“If they don't have licenses, a lot of insurance companies won't cover them and that's the problem,” he said. “We're not out to hurt anyone. We just want there to be accountability.”

Carter, who owns the moped shop, said he believes all mopeds should be registered, but said the last point would leave most moped riders without a private mode of transportation.

“Most guys that have them can't get a license and need a way to get around,” Carter said. “Some of them lost their licenses; some are handicapped and can't pass the test.”

According to the General Assembly's website, the bill last saw movement on Feb. 2 when it was referred to the Committee on Transportation. Whether the bill advances or not, Carter wants moped owners and other motorists to have patience, which he said is a virtue when sharing the road.

“Don't worry about the guy blowing his horn behind you,” Carter said. “Just remember to abide by the law.”

Christopher Thomas is a staff writer at The Daily News. Contact him at 910-219-8473 or Christopher.Thomas@JDNews.com.